Large engraving, covering two (individual) sheets, depicting the great square in the heart of Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter (today Jonas Daniël Meijerplein Square) and the synagogues that bordered on it, representing two of the city’s major Jewish congregations in the 18th century, namely the Portuguese Synagogue (at left) and the Great Ashkenazi Synagogue (at right).

At its center, the engraving depicts a scene representing the typically vibrant daily life of Amsterdam’s thriving Jewish Quarter, with Portuguese Jews in elegant apparel as opposed to Ashkenazi Jews wearing rather unkempt clothing, alongside workers, merchants, and coachmen at work, as well as children at play, and stray dogs. The scene also shows barges, transporting merchandise, on the canal. The engraving is titled at the bottom, in French and English.

This engraving bears the print signature of the Dutch printer and engraver Pieter van Gunst, and is based on a work by the Dutch artist Abraham Rademaker (1675-1735) (see item no. 010097015133, Amsterdam City Archives).

A number of different versions of this engraving are known to exist. The present version is among the earlier ones, and it shows only two synagogues. In later versions, Amsterdam’s New (Ashkenazi) Synagogue – founded in 1752 – appears next to the Great Ashkenazi Synagogue; once the domed New Synagogue was built, the engraving was “updated” to show it as well (for this later version, see item no. 010094008225, Amsterdam City Archives).

Approx. 97.5X51.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor blemishes. The two segments of the engraving are mounted onto a linen fabric for purposes of display and preservation.  A strip – bearing a depiction of a pair of angels alongside the title of the work in Dutch – is missing from the top of this engraving.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 118.011.002.